Machine for operating on shoe uppers



Sept. 15, 1942. v. H. MEYER MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOE UPPERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1941 Sept. 15, 1942. v. H. MEYER -MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOE UPPERS Filed June 13, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIII //vv NTUR Wm M Patented Sept. 15, 1942 MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SHOE UPPERS Vernon H. Meyer, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of NewJersey Application June 13, 1941, Serial No. 397,831

14 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for acting In the manufacture of certain types of shoes,

the bottom margin of the upper is turned inwardly to form an attaching flange around the back part prior to assembly of the upper with an insole. One example of such a shoe is illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 2,212,514, granted August 27, 1940, upon an application filed in the name of Karl Engel. In a shoe of the type illustrated by this patent, a sole is provided, the upper surface of which has a marginal channel bounded by a shoulder, and the inturned portion of the upper is positioned in the channel with the edge of the inturnedportion abutting the shoulder. The upper is attached to the sole by suitable means, such as stitching passing through the inturned portion of the upper and the sole. In order that the upper may be properly assembled with the sole, the inturned marginal portion should have a contour similar to that of the shoulder of the channel in thesole. This is particularly true at the back part of the upper which is preferably pre-molded'substantially to final shape, the back part being reinforced by a counter stiffener so that the flange formed at the bottom thereof is substantially non-yielding. Accordingly, the assembly of the back part to a sole of the type shown in the Engel patent may be very diflicult if the flange does not conform to the shoulder on the sole.

It is an object of this invention to provide a machine havng means for turning in the bottom margin to form an attaching flange and means for subsequently trimming the flange to a predetermined contour, thereby to facilitate subsequent shoemaking operations. To this end and as a feature of the invention, the machine herein illustrated has means for molding the back part of a shoe upper substantially to final shape, means for turning in the lasting margin to form an attaching flange, and a knife operative after the flange has been formed to trim the edge of the flange to a predetermined contour. Following the trimming operation, the flange may be pressed or molded to set the materials comprising the back part,a,fter which the back part may be removed from the machine and assembled to a sole such as that shown by the Engel patent, although it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the manufacture of shoes of the type shown by that patent.

"now be described in detail and illustrated in the This and other features of the invention will drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the head of a machine embodying the present invention; i

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating certain parts of'the machine in the positions assumed after the back part has been molded but prior to the flanging operation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line IIIIII of Fi 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, illustrating the wiper plate after it has started its movementfrom the position of Fig. 2 to turn in the lower marginal portion of the upper, thereby to form a, flange;

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating the wiper plate after it has completed its movement to form theflange and showing the knife slide in cross section;

' Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5, illustrating the knife in the process of trimming the previously formed flange;

Fig. 7 is a view. similar to Fig. 6, showing the knife at the completion of its trimming movement and the knife slide acting against the wiper plate to exert final molding pressure on the flange; and

Fig.8 is a view of the back part on the inner mold'at the completion of operation thereon by the machine, illustrating the trimmed flange.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine of the type illustrated in application Serial No. 320,391, filed February 23, 1940, in the name of Karl Engel. This machine comprises a frame It], to the front wall of which is secured a bracket [2 having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined surface forming the slideway for a slide 7 It, to the forward portion of which is secured an L-shaped support It. ,An inner form or mold i8 is secured to the support I6 and is arranged to carry the back part of a, shoe upper, the toe end of which is held by a gripper 20 mounted on a housing 22 extending upwardly from the bracket 12 and fixed thereto. Side grippers 24 carried by the support I6 engage the sides of the upper mounted on the form 18, these grippers 20 and 24 being shown in detail in the aforementioned Engel application. Upon movement of the slide I4 upwardly in the bracket I2, the form I8 moves away from the toe gripper 20, thereby to stretch the upper around the form 18. This form, as illustrated more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, is shaped substantially like the heel portion of a last and cooperates with a pair of outer molds 26 to mold the back part substantially to final shape.

The outer molds are slidably mounted in the upper portion of the frame l and are arranged to be moved toward one another and toward the form I8 by a lever 28 pivoted on a shaft 30, the upper end of the lever being connected by a link 32 to the outer molds in a manner more fully disclosed in the Engel application. The lower end of the lever 28 carries a cam roll 34 held by a spring 36 in engagement with a cam 38 mounted on a drive shaft 39 so that, upon rotation of the cam in a clockwise direction, the lever will be moved in a counterclockwise direction to bring the outer molds downwardly and inwardly toward the inner form [8. The inner form is simultaneously moved toward the outer molds upon rotation of the cam 38 to stretch the back part over the form. For this purpose the slide I4 is connected by a link 40 to a lever 02 pivoted to the frame at 44, the lever being in turn connected by a link 46 to the lever 28. As the lever 28 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the lever 42 will be moved in a clockwise direction to move the slide I4 upwardly and. carry the form t8 toward the outer molds 26.

After the upper has thus been stretched over the form I8 and molded between the form and the outer molds 26, the lasting margin of the upper which extends above the molds 26, as indicated in Fig. 3, is wiped inwardly to form a heel as shown in Fig. 1) overthe upper surface of the form l8. This wiper plate is carried by a slide 52 mounted between plates 59 (Fig. 2) which are pivoted to a shaft 56in the frame of the machine so that the plates'and the slide may be moved upwardly as a unit at the completion of a flanging operation. Movement of the slide 52 to turn in the lasting margin is effected by clockwise movement of a lever 58 mounted on the shaft 30; The lower end of this lever carries a cam roll 60 held by a spring 62 against the periphery of a cam 64 mounted on the drive shaft 39. The upper end of the lever carries a block 66 slidable on a rod 60 extending from a member 69 pivoted at to a link I2, which is in turn pivoted to a bracket M carried by the slide 52. A spring 56 is confined between the block 66 and the member 69, the block 66 being held against rearward displacement by nuts 18 threaded onto the rearward end of the rod 60.

Upon clockwise rotation of the cam 64, the lever 58 will be moved in a counterclockwise direction and will act through the spring 76 to move the slide 52 forwardly, carrying with it the wiper plate 50 to turn in the flange over the adjacent surface of the form I8.

The forward portion of the wiper plate has a V-shaped notch 80, as shown in Fig. 4, the base of which is arranged to engage an upwardly extending boss 82 on the form I8 after the wiper plate has completed its wiping action, the boss 82 limiting movement of the wiper plate relative to the form so that it will stop in a predetermined relation thereto for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. The provision of the spring I6 between the lever 58 and the slide 52 carrying the wiper plate forms a yielding connection so that there will be no breakage of parts in the event that the cam roll 60011 the lever 53 does not reach the-'highest'point on the cam 04 when the wiper plate moves into engagement with the boss 82.

The wiper plate is secured to the slide by screws 84, the holes in the wiper plate through which the screws pass being countersunk to receive springs 86 (Figs. 6 and '7) so that the wiper plate may be moved downwardly relative to the slide to press the wiped-in flange at a predetermined time during the operation of the machine, in a manner to be hereinafter described.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 2, 3, 6 and '7, the back part of the form I8 is recessed in its upper surface, the recess conforming in shape to the contour which the flange is ultimately to have. The walls of this recess form a shearing surface for a knife 88, which is generally U- sh'aped as shown in Fig. 4, this knife being movable through a correspondingly shaped aperture in the wiper plate 50. Upon downward movement of the knife through the wiper plate after the wiper plate has come to rest against the boss 02 on the form I8; those portions of the flange on the back part of the upper which overhang the edge of the recess in the form will be trimmed off, thus leaving the flange with a predetermined edge contour.

The'knife88 is secured by a screw 99 to a slide member 92 slidable in an upward extension 94 (Fig. 1) of the slide 52, the slide being provided with an opening 96 through which the slide member 92 passes. The lower end of the slide member has a flange 98 arranged to bear against the wiper plate 50 after the knife 88 has trimmed 01f the surplus material from the flange, as shown in Fig.6, so that, upon further downward movement of the slide member 92, the wiper plate 59 will be moved downwardly relative to its slide member 52, thereby to compress and mold the materials of which the attaching flange is formed, namely the lining, counter stiifener and the upper leather.

The slide member 92, which carries the knife 03 and operates through the wiper plate to compress the fiange, is connected by a link I00 (Fig. 1) to a lever I02 pivoted intermediate its ends to a pin I04 carried bythe upward extension 94 of the 'slide 52. The rearward end of the lever I02 is provided "with alongitudinal slot which slidably receives a block I06 carried by an arm I08 secured to a shaft '0 journaled in an upwardly extending bracket I I2 at the upper end of the frame I0. Theshaft IIO has also connected to it an arm I14, the'lower end of which is pivoted to a rod I'I6 to which is yieldingly connected the upper end of an actuating arm H0 secured to the shaft 301 "The shaft 30 has also connected to it an arm I20 carrying a cam roll I22 engaging the periphery of "a cam I24 driven by the shaft '39. The slotted connection between the lever I02 and the arm 'I08provides a lost motion connection to permit movement of the slide '52 forwardly to turn in the lasting margin, without causing'any movement of the slide member 92 carrying the knife relative to the slide. However, after the slide 52 completes its movement and the flange has beenwiped in, the cam I24 operating through the roll I22 and the arms I20, II8 causes movement'of the rod I I6 to the left, as'view'ed in Fig. 1. Thus the'arms H4 and I08 move in a clockwise direction, lifting the right end of'the lever I 02 and causing downward m0vement of the slide member 92 to trim the flange and compress it, 'thereby'imparting a permanent set to the materials forming the'flange.

At the conclusion of' amolding and" fianging operation, the plates 54 are lifted about theshaft 56 by a cam I30, to lift the slide 52 and, with it,

the wiper plate and the slide member 92. This cam I38 acts through a cam roll I32 and a rod I 34, the upper end of which is pivotally connected to one of the plates 54 (there being two sets of cams and cam rolls, one connected to each of the plates) to swing the entire assembly upwardly away from the back part, after which the molds are separated from the form I8 to permit removal of the back part from the machine.

The operation of the machine will now be reviewed. A shoe upper S, having a back part composed of outer leather U, lining L, and a counter stiffener C, is placed on the form I8, the toe end of the upper being held by the gripper 28 and the sides in the grippers 24. The shaft 39 is now rotated in a clockwise direction, whereupon the cam 38 causes the inner form and the outer molds to move together to stretch the upper over the inner form and mold the back part substantially into final shape. thus molded, the slide 52 is moved forwardly, carrying the wiper plate 58 from the position shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. 5, to turn in the lasting margin and form an attaching flange. The motion of the wiper plate is arrested by its engagement with the upwardly extending boss 82 on the form I8. The slide member 92 is then moved downwardly relative to the slide 52 carrying the wiper plate, whereupon the knife 88 carried thereby moves into the recess I in the back part of the form I8 in shearing relation therewith to trim any portion of the flange which may overhang, thereby producing a flange having a predetermined contour. As shown in Figs. and 6, the bottom of the recess in the 1 form communicates with a passageway extending through the form so that the material trimmed by the knife may pass therethrough. Upon further downward movement of the slide 92 from the position of Fig. 6 to that of Fig. '7, the flange 98 carried thereby moves the wiper plate downwardly against the force of the springs 86 to mold the trimmed flange and impart a final set to the materials.

It will thus be seen that, assuming the upper is to be assembled with a sole such as that shown and described in the above-mentioned Engel patent, if the knife 88 and the recess in the back part of the form I8 correspond in contour to the contour of the shoulder around the heel end of the sole, the flange produced by the apparatus will fit into the channel at the back part of the sole and abut the shoulder all the way around without any subsequent shaping of the back part, which would be very difficult inasmuch as the back part is premolded.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, means for turning in a portion of the lasting margin to form an attaching flange, and means for trimming the in-turned flange to a predetermined contour.

Z. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, means for turning in a portion of the lasting margin to form an attaching flange, means for trimming the flange to a predetermined contour, and means for pressing the trimmed flange.

3. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, means for turning in the lasting margin to form a heel seat flange, and means for trimming the flange to a predetermined width.

After the back part is i 4. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, means for turning in the lasting margin to form a heel seat flange, means for trimming the flange to a predetermined width, and means for pressing the flange.

5. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for stretching the back part of a shoe upper over said form, means for turning in the lasting margin against the bottom of said form to produce a heel seat flange, and means for trimming said flange to a predetermined contour.

6. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for stretching the back part of a shoe upper over said form, a wiper for turning in the lasting margin against the bottom of said form to produce a heel seat flange, means for trimming said flange to a predetermined contour, and means for pressing the flange against the bottom of said form.

7. In a machine for operating on the back: parts of shoe uppers, an inner form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for molding the back part of a. shoe upper against said form, means for wiping in the lasting margin against the bottom of said form to produce a heel seat flange, and means cooperating with said form for trimming said flange to a predetermined contour.

8. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, an inner form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for molding the. back part of a shoe upper against said form, means for wiping in the lasting margin against the bottom of said form to produce a heel seat flange, means cooperating with said form for trimming said flange to a predetermined contour, and means associated with said wiping means for pressing the trimmed flange.

9. In a machine for operating on the back: parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for shaping the back part of a shoe upper over said form, means for wiping in the lasting margin of the back part against the bottom of said form to produce an attaching flange, said form having a recess in the bottom thereof conforming in shape to the desired contour of said attaching flange, and a trimming knife movable into shearing relationship with the walls of said recess to trim said flange.

10. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means for shaping the back part of a shoe upper over said form, means for wiping in the lasting margin of the back part against the bottom of said form to produce an attaching flange, said form having a recess in the bottom thereof conforming in shape to the desired contour of said attaching flange, a trimming knife movable into shearing relationship with the walls of said recess to trim said flange, and means movable with said knife for pressing the flange after the edge thereof has been trimmed.

11. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means cooperating with said form for shaping the back part of a shoe upper, a slide movable in a plane parallel to the bottom of said form, a wiper carried by said plate for wiping in the lasting margin against the bottom of said form under light pressure to form an at taching flange, means urging said wiper toward said slide, means movable toward the bottom of said form for trimming th flange so formed to a predetermined contour, and means for moving said wiper normal to said form to press the flange against the bottom of the form.

12. In, amachine foroperating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last; meansiforstretching the back part of a shoe upperaround the form, a wiper platemovable over the bottom ofthe form to produce an attaching flange, the central portion of said wiper plate having-an aperture therein, means movable through said aperture for trimming said flange to a predetermined contour, and means operative against said wiper plate for pressing the trimmed flange.

13. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means cooperating therewith to shape the back part of a shoe upper, the bottom of said form having a recess therein, a wiper plate movable over the bottom of said form to turn in the lasting margin' and produce an attaching flange, said wiper plate having an aperture thereinregistering with the recess in said form after the Wiper plate has completed'its flange-forming movement, and a knife movable through the aperture in said wiper plate and cooperating with the recess in said form'for trimming the flange to 'apredetermi-ned contour.

14. In a machine for operating on the back parts of shoe uppers, a form shaped like the heel portion of a last, means cooperating therewith to shape the back part of a shoe upper, the bottom of said form having a recess therein, a wiper plate movable over'the bottom of said 'form to turn in the lasting margin and produce an attaching flange, said wiper plate having an aperture therein registering with the recess in said form after the wiper plate has completed its flange-forming movement, a knife movable through the aperture in said wiper plate and cooperating with the recess in said form for trimming the flange to a predetermined con-tour, and means including said Wiper plate for pressing the flange at the conclusion of the trimming operation.

VERNON H. MEYER. 

